Meanings
- alternativenot comparableAlternative form of en caul.
An en-caul birth is one where a child is born inside the entire amniotic sac.
2016, Toni Harman, Alex Wakeford, “What Do Bacteria Have to Do with Birth?”, in Your Baby’s Microbiome: The Critical Role of Vaginal Birth and Breastfeeding for Lifelong Health, White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green Publishing, published February 2017, →ISBN, page 493 more examples
Alternatively, it is often possible to perform an en-caul delivery through a transverse incision if the membranes are left intact.
2004, Griff Jones, “Preterm labour”, in David M. Luesley, Philip N. Baker, editors, Obstetrics and Gynaecology: An Evidence-Based Text for MRCOG, London: Arnold, →ISBN, section C (Late pregnancy/intrapartum events; edited by Lucy Kean), page 294, column 2Fascinating research is also underway to determine the impact of an en-caul birth (sac is intact) on the microbiome, as well as the effects of skin-to-skin contact or “swab-seeding” following a Cesarean section.
2018, Barbara Rodgers, “You and Your Baby Are Bugged: Your Microbiome and How It Affects Fertility”, in Baby Maker: A Complete Guide to Holistic Nutrition for Fertility, Conception, and Pregnancy, New York, N.Y.; Nashville, Tenn.: Post Hill Press, →ISBNMy birth was en-caul; that is to say, I emerged completely inside the amniotic sac.
2020 April 9, Sigrid Kendall, “Thicker Than Water”, in My Many Lives: A Memoir, Bloomington, Ind.: Balboa Press, →ISBN
- alternativenot comparableAlternative form of en caul.
What happens if a baby is born en-caul?
2016, Toni Harman, Alex Wakeford, “What Do Bacteria Have to Do with Birth?”, in Your Baby’s Microbiome: The Critical Role of Vaginal Birth and Breastfeeding for Lifelong Health, White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green Publishing, published February 2017, →ISBN, page 492 more examples
I was born en-caul, or in the ‘water bag’, as our family calls it.
2016, Yassmin Abdel-Magied, “Where the Blue and White Nile Meet”, in Yassmin’s Story: Fearless, Funny and Inspiring, Sydney, N.S.W.: Vintage Books, published 2017, →ISBN, page 1But in those days, it was considered being born en-caul a sign that the baby was destined for greatness—or at the very least, would never drown.
2020 April 9, Sigrid Kendall, “Thicker Than Water”, in My Many Lives: A Memoir, Bloomington, Ind.: Balboa Press, →ISBN
Cite this entry
en-caul. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/en-caul
“en-caul.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/en-caul. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “en-caul,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/en-caul.
Source: en-caul on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.